LeBron James calls out Cleveland fans who booed Deshaun Watson after his injury

Browns fans reacting negatively to quarterback Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury sparked a negative reaction from players like defensive end Myles Garrett. Another important figure from the sports world also commented on this topic.

Cleveland icon LeBron James called out those who didn't follow normal injury graces after Watson's fall.

“Cleveland fans!” James said on Twitter. “You all know how much we have been through over the years – good, bad and indifferent. Besides, you boo anyone who is injured, let alone your own player is LAME AF!!” He then gave a greeting emoji to those who didn’t attend.

Garrett and James are right. However, it is an unfortunate reality in spectator sports. Too many fans believe that buying a ticket gives them permission to do and say whatever they want. The anonymity of a crowd causes them to behave in ways they wouldn't if they were alone.

And although most in the stadium certainly did not know the extent of the injury at the time, the overall circumstances set the stage for poisoning. The numbness was evident as the team inexplicably chose to introduce each member of the offense. What did the Browns expect when they called Watson's name for their first home game in four weeks?

Entering 2023, the Browns were a wild card. They managed to put together a very good season. Entering 2024, the Browns were once again an unknown, largely because no one knew what to expect from Watson, who only played in six games last year due to injury.

The season went badly. Making matters worse, management has stubbornly refused to move Watson, who quickly became the worst starting quarterback in the league statistically. The refusal to admit the error in trading and paying Watson potentially turned into another soft and strategic tank, highlighted by Sunday's unusual decision to demote backup quarterback Jameis Winston – if only to address outstanding demands from the Customers to prevent Winston should replace Watson during the season game.

The team's handling of the situation set the stage for responding to the reality that fans got what they wanted: Deshaun Watson out of the game. The reaction of some of the 68,143 paying participants should not have surprised anyone, no matter how unpleasant and unsavory that reaction may have been.

All of this could have been avoided if owner Jimmy Haslam had simply made and implemented the right decision for everyone. Watson shouldn't have played. Carrying him there while pretending to ignore the unanimous outside opinions set the stage for what happened when he was injured.

Was it wrong to boo Watson and/or cheer for his injury? Yes. Was replacing him with Winston before Sunday predictable given the organizational failure? Absolutely.

In fact, it's possible that some's reaction to the Watson injury wasn't about Watson at all. It's possible that they were sending a message to those who refused to pull the plug on the Watson experiment long after it became clear that it didn't work, that it didn't work, and by all accounts never did will work.

Browns fans will now have to wait and see how management deals with the consequences. Watson undergoes surgery. He will do rehab. He will recover. Will ownership put him back on the field since they're already paying him $46 million next year and $46 million the year after that? Or will they turn the tide toward a future that will be bleak in the short term thanks to the cash and cap realities of the last two years or the Watson contract, but perhaps a little brighter in the long term — especially if they take advantage of theirs first first-round pick since trading for Watson, a young quarterback who could become what Watson never was for the Browns?

However the Browns do it, it's in everyone's interest (including Watson) to break the tie and move on with a clean slate. Although this situation will be more than a little unclear until Watson's contract and cap amounts are finally wiped off the books, forever.